Happy Friday, friends! How was your week? I hope spring is surprising you with joy this week, I know it has been here in Washington D.C.! I am loving the warmer weather and the sounds of birds outside the window . . . although that does tend to send the puppy into a tizzy. Oh well. These four walls are already accustomed to, and are preparing for even more noise to be a common denominator! Now . . . onto what you actually care about . . .

1. TED Radio Hour: The Money Paradox: (aired April 4, 2014) I love TED Talks, but I love this podcast even more. This podcast takes a handful of TED Talks and weaves them together with speaker interviews interspersed with clips from the original TED Talks. This really helps to look at an issue from more than one angle, and it is always well done and very interesting. The one talk I want to highlight this week is “Could Your Language Affect Your Ability to Save Money?” This was a very interesting segment that pointed out the effects that grammar can have on your life, more than just what language you speak. If you are interested in languages, it is definitely worth your time!

2. Al Mohler’s The Briefing (4/9): This podcast is an explicitly Christian podcast, observing and evaluating news stories from a Christian point of view. I’m sharing it with you today, because one of the stories that Mohler shared on Wednesday was pertinent to education. His commentary is based on this news article which highlights some of the sad realities of poverty and the effect on children’s education. Mohler, however, spends a few minutes looking at the importance of speaking with children from the time of birth. He mentions the fact that those infants who interact verbally with their parents tend to be more successful in school. This leaves babies in single parent homes at a slight disadvantage, because they will not be receiving the same amount of verbal input. HOWEVER, Mohler also talks about the fact that this is not something that the government should regulate. We cannot get to the point where social workers are coming to homes to evaluate whether or not there is enough spoken language in the home. What are your thoughts? Perhaps this podcast won’t be your cup of tea, but it is only 20 minutes long, I’d challenge you to listen and leave your thoughts in the comments!